Man sentenced to seven years in prison for role in drug death

A 25-year-old Mount Vernon man was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to providing the drugs that caused the death of another man.

According to court records, Chase William Johnson sold fentanyl to Bruce Caswell Rindy-Cox that caused the 26-year-old Mount Vernon man's death.

Rindy-Cox was found dead in his home in the early-morning hours of March 1.

Inside his bedroom police found multiple pieces of foil with burnt residue on them, and a baggie that contained white powder and a small white chunk.

A test of the white substance by police revealed it was fentanyl.

Fentanyl was also found in Rindy-Cox's blood, and a medical examiner determined he died from acute fentanyl intoxication.

After obtaining a search warrant for Rindy-Cox's phone, police found text messages related to illegal drug transactions.

Through text messages, police determined that Rindy-Cox bought drugs from Johnson on Feb. 26.

On Feb. 27, Rindy-Cox messaged a co-worker that he used fentanyl the night before and that he was not feeling well.

On Feb. 28, the co-worker messaged Rindy-Cox to see how he was doing but the message went unanswered.

Another message that day to Rindy-Cox about missing work went unanswered.

Police determined that Rindy-Cox went to work on Feb. 27, but missed work on Feb. 28 and March 1.

On March 28, Johnson was arrested on an unrelated warrant for two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, and eluding a police vehicle.

A search of his phone confirmed that he had been the one setting up the drug deal with Rindy-Cox, an Apple Map trip showed him at Rindy-Cox's home at 12:39 a.m. on Feb. 26, and a Cash App transaction showed Rindy-Cox paid him $100.

Court records state that $100 is the street value of a gram of fentanyl.

A warrant for Johnson's arrest was issued on May 6, and he was taken into custody on May 7.

Rindy-Cox's father, mother and sister read victim impact statements in court Tuesday prior to Johnson's sentencing.

In exchange for pleading guilty to controlled substance homicide, Johnson had a charge of delivery of a controlled substance dropped.

Skagit County Community Justice Center records show that Johnson is facing charges for unrelated incidents.

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:58 PM.